George m



(No Model.)

' G. M. MOWBRAY.

PROCESS 0F MANUFACTURING NITRO GELLULOSE.

.N0.434,2871 gPatentedAurg.12.1890.

www i ilNiTEE STATES eEo'RGE'MQM-OWBRAY, OE 'NORTH' ADAMS, MASSACHUSETTS, 'Asslenoa'ro PROCESS Ol-.MANUFACTURING NItho-olp-:l- Lul-Loslz.`

.THE AMERIOANZYLO'NITE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y;

.SPECIFICATION forming pm of Letters Patent No.' 434,287, dated August 412, 189e.

Application tied July e. i889.

To all w71 om t may concern: l

Be it known that 1, GEORGE M. MOWBRAY, a citizen of the` United States, residing at North Adams, in the county of Berkshire and State of lllassachusetts, have invented, new and useful Improvements in the Process of Manufacturing Nitro-Cellulose or Pyroxylne Compounds, ot' which the following is a specification. ro This invention has for its object to provide novel, efficient, and economical improvements in the process of .manufacturing pyroxyline eoinpounds-such as zylonite-in continuous sheets or webs preparatory to further mani p u- :5 lation and tolessen the cost-'of manufacture bj1-largely red ucing the time, labor, and number of attendants Ordinarily required for praeticin g the several processes intermittenti y' heretofore necessary in this art. :o To accomplish this object-my invention involves the features, the procedure, and the principles of operation, hereinafter described, and specifi/.ed in the claims.

In theA accompanying; drawing I exhibita sectionalsideelevationof mechanisminvented by me for carrying my improved continuous process into effect, and in order to enable others skilled in the art to practice my invention I will now\deseribe the saine in detail, 3o referring to the drawing, where the numerals 1, 2, and 3 indicate 'overhanging countershafts beltedto the shafts a, 5, and 6, which respectively drive the web-roll shaft 7, the compression-roll S,and the distributing-cylindert).l Y

rlhe frame lO, in which the drive-shaft-L and web-roll 7 are mounted, is provided with two or more hollow dryi11g-cylinders 12, ar-

ranged one above the other-and warmed in- 4o any suitable manner, and between the said 'cylinders and the compression-rolls S and i3, I place a tank l-i for containing the acid bath of sulphur-ic and nitric acid properly mixed together for converting' the continuous cellu- A lose` sheet into nitro-cellulose or pyroxyline.

A coil of`pipe l5 is`fixed within the acid-tank and at 16 is connected with a steam-pipe 17 and water-pipe IS for controlling the temperature of the bath, as occasion demands. A 5o guide-roll l!) and sheet-supporting 1101120, having a'doctor 21,'are mounted upon or adjaserial No. 316,868. (No model.)

cent-to the receiving end'of the tank, and

near the compression-rolls 8 and 13'and between the latter and a sheet-drying chamber 22 are arranged va series of water-containing web-washing tanks 23, located 'side by side, each having at its receiving` end a'sheetfsus' taining' roller 24, all simultaneously.rotated linthe same direction by belt or similar connection with the compression-roll shaft 5, or otherwise, if vmore convenient.

.At a point between the shaft (5 and the drying-chamber 22 is arranged a trough'or tank 25, containing a liquid acting as a solv-A ent of the nitrocellulose, which is distribnted upon the travelingl web by means of the revolving cylinder 9 in the trough or tank. This cylinder may be smooth or engraved, and the web rests directly upon its surface.

The drying-chamber contains an upper and a lower series of rollers 27, around which pass a series of endlesstraveling tapes 28 for drawing Aand conductingthenitrated web through the drying-chamber. 'lhe tapes are caused to continuously travel in any suitable man-` ner--as for example, by beltinfe; one o f the rollers to the solvent vdistributing-cylinder i), as at 29, said distributing-cylindcr bei ng preferably rotated by a belt or other connection with the shaft (i.

I may arrange compression-rolls-such as are indicated by the numerals S and 13-between the last washing-tank'and the dryingchai'nber lfor `removing` vsomeot' the moisture from theweb before lthe latter passes intothe drying-chamber.v j

The web-delivering rollf7 is supported by boxes adapted to move vertically in'slots 30 of the frame l0 directly above the drivingshaft a, and ou this shaft or otherwise suitably placed is a web-.perforator composed vof a cylinder 3l, having;l its periphery'supplie'd. with needle-pointed or -lancet-tippedpins or A cutters for pricking'or perfor-ating the cellulose sheet in its passage tothe acid bath,so as to give greater surface to and. more complete penetration of the acids. I

The web receiving and winding,` cylinder 32 may be'tubular or hollow and suitably supported to' be rotated vby the vv'shaft 6 in such manner that said cylinder can be conveniently yheated internally. Y

ssl

pression-rolls, to be conveyed' by gravity' through a pipe-connection 34 to a spent-acid tank. 'lhe sheet-sustaining rollers 24:40u the' washing-tanks are preferably covered withw acid-resisting felt or other suitable material. By thecoil in the acid-tank the temperature may be raised or lowered to increase ordi-- minish the temperature of the'a'cids. IfA desired, suitable pigments Amay beapplied by sifting with the solvent or Yby grindingr or. mixing such pigments with the solvent or by coloring-matter dissolved in the solvent. y

In practice the motion `of the over-hanging shafts is transferred to the shafts-4, 5, and 6 and a rolled web l of unsized cellulose tissue paper is mounted on the hollow web-roll shaft 7, so that the web gravitates upon and is rotated by contact with the rotating per-` forator 3l,which pricks recessesorperforates one or more thicknesses of the line paper on.

the roll. The web passes to the uppermost :drying-cylinder l2 and alternately between "such cylinders to the lower-most one, from whence it passes to the acid-tank over the rollers 19 and 20 and under the doctor 2l.-

At the commencement of the operation two attendants, one on each side of the tank and each carrying a light rod, guide or direct theweb from the rollers 19 20 to the farther end of the tank, and thus assist in suitably immersing the web,'so as to placethe same in the position shown by the irregular upvand down looped lines of the drawing, this service being useful in preventing entanglement of the outgoing Aportion of the'web with the portion following. That portion of `the paperimmersed inthe acid bath remains at rest therein from twelvel to twenty minutes, so that the iirst portion immersed becomes nitrated. Subsequent-ly to this the continuous web moves into the bath simultaneously with the removal of the nitrated portion, the, re- Vmoval or withdrawal taking place at a speed luniform, or nearly uniform, with the speed that the paper moves into the bath.

' The acids contained in the tank are built up-z'. e., restored to the necessary strengthaccording to the process and proportions as .described in my patents, Nos. 350,497' and 350,498, and may be introduced at any convenient level preferred by the operator, so as to enable him to make a thorough mixture therewith, partly by means of the movement of the web through the acids and partly by the pressure with which the building-up acids are forced into the tank. The nitrated part of the web moves from the tank over a guide roll to the compression-rolls 8 and 13, which are acted upon by doctors and compress the `tity of `liquid selvent.

per, which excess, as before stated, may be received into the vessel 33 and returned to theI excess of adherent acid from the nitratedpa- Themitrated paper now lpasses into and through the water contained in thewashingtanks 23. by mean sof -thefwebfsustaining rolls 2l, the surplusiyaterbeing removed by doctors as the 'pa-per leaves the last tank, from whence thelyy'ashed n'itratedgweb passes to the carrying-tapes 28, 'which 'carry the paper vvaround the yrolls 27' inthefdryngfchamber 22;

By arranging so that the'lastidivision of the washing-tanks is tilled with-jasolutionjof camphor in water or water i'mpregl'iated with carb onic-acid gas, `I partially ,camphorate '.the-

same prior to drying,` which hesjt-hisadvantage, that as camphorated pyroxyline Ais more stable than pyroxyline ntfcamphorated I can delay its further manipulation for 'a'. reasonably convenient time, if desirable. 'lhenitrated paper being less v'absorbent than ordinary 'paper, the very light fil'rn of moisture lefton its surface may -beremoyed ina great measure by being brought'into' contact with the absorbent, surface Aand speedily evapo- 4rates in the drying-chamber, thelatterbeing well ventilated. 1

As shown, the endless carrying-tapes, which leave the webat the roller 36, run outside the drying-chamber to the point of entrance to resume their Vfunction of carrying the continousweb of washed nitrat-ed paper through the :drying-chamber until the entire rolled Aweb is exhausted. The washed nitrated web ration of the solvent and allo'w the solvents to diffuse uniformly through the mass, when .it will be in proper condition for the' usual mastication-rolls. vrlhe material, after being masticated and compacted int-o awslab by steam heat and hydraulic-or other pressure, is readyfor subsequent operations. ,The speed at which the web is caused to travel is .under control of the attendant by any suitable means which govern the movement of the motor or the drive-shafts, and hence the time ofiminersion of the web in the acid bath can be varied byincreasin g ondiminishing the speed of the web.

I am aware that a means of applying a solvent to a sheet of pyroxyline made of the thickness of about-one thirty-second of :an inch has been patented; but it will be observed in said patent that the pyroxyline after being IIO made is next ground intozt pulp, and then the'pyroxyline is formed `into apweb.- vInlny invention l omit all the grinding of the pyroxyline, forming into@ web, 85o., and. simply 5 use aeontinuous web of cellulose paper for nitration and conversion. y y A Y v, Hei-ving'thus described my invention, what I claim is-v A w "il. The process of nmnufaeturing nitro-cel-y ;lulose or pyroxyline by moving :t continuous rweb of cellulose peper intoand throughjan acid bath,l compressing the nitrated web, moving the compressed nitrated -web through u v-washing-fluid, and then drying'the same while Ylin zt continuous iveb, substantially as setforth. 2. The process herein described of menu facturing nitro-cellulose or pyroxyline, which,v consists i'n forming zi continuous Webof cellulose paper into a roll, moving such` web through an acid bath, then through a Wz1s11- ing-fluid, drying the saine, and distributing a lsolvent uponthe continuously-moving web,

lsubstantially as set forth. v

3. The process oti manufacturing nitrocellulose by moving @continuous web of 'cellu-A lose lpaper-into ft trough or :Leid bathof suitable temperature, wushin g the samezand then.

impregnatingthesamewitheamphordissolved in water or in water impregnated l'with eurboncfaeid-gas, substantially as set forth.

fl. The process' herein described of. manufm'ztu'ringn itro-'cellu-lose or pyroxyline', which eonsists'i'n causing @continuous wobei .cel- -jlulose pagper toftrzrvel through un :Leid bath', `v35`A then' awashing-I'luid,.then drying the same, if'5j-distributing 'auf solventl on the. 4 continuously l moving nitruted pztpeuwiuding'we luttcrinto .a roll, andfditfusingthe solvent, substantially as set forth.

' acting as ft vsolvent and supplied by ufcylipm l In testimony whereof 'I have alixed 5. TheplOQ-ss'herein described of manu-1 g faeturingfnitro-eellulosc O rpyroxyliue, which consists in forming :t web of cellulose peperI into t roll, causing the web to pass between onthe traveling n itralted web, and iormi'n'grthfe155 latter into aiolh'subSt-Lntially @isset forth'jl 7. The process herein described of -mztnufacturing nitro-cellul`ose,4 which 'consists 'in' l forming a continuous web of unsized celluf: lose paper into :t roll, continuously 'moving .6o suchy web in contaetwithaprickerforperforevtor, thence between drying-rolls, neztthroughA theeid bath, compressing the nitrated web, 1 moving it through a Washing-iuidanda dry- .ing-chamber, 'distributingthe solvent on the traveling web, and diiusing the solvent, sub# lstan-tielly as set forth.

8. The processherein described ofmanufacturing nitrocellulose, which consists'.- in passing a continuous -webef cellulose paper' through et nit'rating 'beth that converts .the -cellui'ose paper into nitro-cellulose' and `Inov- .ing the nitrzvtted web in contctwith a'liquid .der, substmi'tiully asset forth.' c Y my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

, f f Griso.y M. M'OWBRAY; Vtitnes's'es'z" 5 *f 1I.; S'IDDoNs llowu'imv,V 5 FRANCIS l. BANDEN, 

